Smith & Wesson

American Outdoor Brands Corporation (NASDAQ Global Select: AOBC), a leading manufacturer of firearms and a provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast, today announced that its firearms business, Smith & Wesson Corp., has agreed to acquire substantially all of the assets of Gemini Technologies, Incorporated (“Gemtech”), a provider of high quality suppressors and accessories for the consumer, law enforcement, and military markets.

James Debney, President and CEO of American Outdoor Brands, said, “Gemtech is widely recognized for producing some of the finest rifle and pistol suppressors in the market. Gemtech’s strong product development capabilities, combined with our experience in brand management and our manufacturing expertise, will help us to efficiently develop both firearms and suppressors, minimizing our time to market for both product categories. We view this acquisition as opportunistic, allowing us to enter the suppressor category, which resonates strongly with our core firearm consumer, at a time when the market is particularly soft. These elements combine to make Gemtech an excellent fit with our long term strategy.”

The company intends to complete the acquisition of Gemtech utilizing cash on hand and expects the transaction to close this summer. Ron Martinez, President of Gemtech, will continue in his leadership role as General Manager, heading up the company’s strong team located in Eagle, Idaho.

The 2017 National Shooting Sport Foundation’s (NSSF) Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show (SHOT Show) officially kicks off tomorrow and, as it has for years, today yielded the opportunity for members of the media and industry buyers to get hands-on trigger time with some of the newest and most innovative firearms and accessories that are hitting the shelves. The GunLink team was on hand from the opening shots through the last call so we could get first hand information and experience to pass along to those who were unable to make it out.

Check out the SHOT Show Industry Day at the Range photos below and keep an eye right here on the GunLink Blog and on the GunLink Forums for more details on our live-fire excursion into the new firearms market, from the new Hudson H9 pistol through the Smith & Wesson Performance Center M&P 10 modern sporting rifle chambered in 6.5 Creedmoor. Continue reading →

Brownells and Smith & Wesson have collaborated to create a highly-customized, America-themed version of the Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 pistol.

Brownells and Smith & Wesson – two legendary American firearm industry companies – have teamed up to create “The All American Dream Gun.”

Designed to show off each company’s strength – the legendary firearms built by Smith & Wesson, and the extensive selection of firearm accessories from Brownells – The All American Dream Gun boasts the very best in American firearm innovation and creativity.

Using the newly-released Smith & Wesson M&P M2.0 4.25” pistol chambered in 9mm as the canvas, the experts at Brownells sought to customize four areas of the firearm: trigger, sights, silence and patriotic style.

Because the M&P M2.0 pistol features a new and improved trigger, the mechanism itself was left alone. Brownells built upon those improvements by simply replacing the trigger shoe with an Apex Tactical Specialties AEK trigger to aid in consistent trigger pull.

Brownells wanted to help shooters make the most of the M&P M2.0 pistol’s improved trigger and enhanced grip texture by adding a sighting system conducive to fast target acquisition. To accomplish this, Brownells adapted the slide to accept a Trijicon RMR LED sight with a 6.5 MOA red dot. Continue reading →

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a leading manufacturer of firearms and provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast, today announced that its Outdoor Products & Accessories segment, through a subsidiary of Battenfeld Technologies, Inc., will acquire the business of Ultimate Survival Technologies, Inc. (“UST Brands”), a provider of high quality survival and camping equipment, in an asset acquisition for $32.3 million in cash. In addition, up to $2.0 million will be due over a period of two years following the closing, contingent upon the financial performance of the acquired business.

UST Brands is a recognized provider of some of the finest survival and camping equipment on the market. The UST Brands line of personal safety and survival tools includes LED lights, patented all-weather fire starters, unbreakable signal mirrors, premium outdoor cutting tools, first aid kits, signal whistles, survival kits, camp kitchen products, and more. UST Brands’ products are sold through a variety of outdoor, sporting goods, and large retailers, as well as through online merchandisers. Based in Jacksonville, Florida, UST Brands operates from a 100,625 square foot facility.

James Debney, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smith & Wesson, said, “We are very excited to announce the acquisition of UST Brands. With its complete offering of survival gear, UST Brands is our first acquisition that is entirely focused on the outdoor market, which is a key part of our vision to become the leading provider of quality products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast. By expanding its product portfolio and retail presence, UST Brands delivered impressive compound annual revenue growth of 49% from 2012 through 2015. We believe that UST Brands’ broad distribution network, which includes strategic retailers, online retailers, and distributors, will create incremental opportunities for our existing accessories products. Moreover, we believe that the UST Brands product portfolio will benefit synergistically from the product innovation, distribution network, and efficient sourcing model that have contributed to the success of our Accessories Division under the leadership of its President, Jim Gianladis.” Continue reading →

Smith & Wesson Holding Corporation, a leading manufacturer of firearms and a provider of quality accessory products for the shooting, hunting, and rugged outdoor enthusiast, today announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Crimson Trace Corporation (Crimson Trace), the industry leader in laser sighting systems and tactical lighting for firearms, for $95.0 million, subject to certain adjustments, utilizing cash on hand.

Crimson Trace has long been a key supplier of laser sighting systems for Smith & Wesson. For more than two decades, Crimson Trace has provided consumers, military units, and law enforcement officers around the globe with the world’s largest selection of award-winning laser sight and tactical light products. Crimson Trace offers more than 225 products and is widely recognized as the world’s leading brand of laser sights for firearms. Its award-winning innovations include the Lasergrips®, Laserguard®, and Rail Master® platforms. The company’s product line also includes the Defender Series®, Lightguard®, and its new LiNQ™ wireless activation system. Based in Wilsonville, Oregon, Crimson Trace operates from a 50,000 square foot , leased facility where it engineers and manufactures its products.

Crimson Trace was founded 22 years ago and has organically generated a ten year compound annual revenue growth rate in excess of 10%. The company maintains a product development team that has an established track record of launching high-quality, innovative laser sighting products. As a result, its products maintain a premium position with hundreds of independent retailers as well as large sporting goods retailers, including Cabela’s, MidwayUSA, Nation’s Best Sports, and internet retailer Optics Planet, Inc. Continue reading →

Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and Daniel J. Kumor, Special Agent in Charge of the ATF Boston Field Division, announced that Elliot Perez, 30, of Bridgeport, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Alvin W. Thompson in Hartford to 210 months of imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for stealing 111 firearms from the Smith & Wesson manufacturing plant in Springfield, Mass, and selling many of those firearms on the street.

“This defendant not only stole more than 100 firearms, but he quickly sold dozens of them on the street putting them directly into the hands of criminals,” said U.S. Attorney Daly. “Not only are the stolen guns now turning up in criminal investigations as far away as North Carolina, but one was used in a Bridgeport murder and another in a shooting at a Hartford night club. As more than 50 of these guns are still at large, there is no telling how many additional acts of violence will stem from this offense. These sobering facts make clear that this long prison term is fair and appropriate. We thank the Stratford and Bridgeport Police Departments for their excellent work in quickly arresting these defendants, and the ATF for their investigative work and ongoing efforts to identify and recover the missing firearms.”

“The theft of over 100 guns is a serious threat to public safety and this sentence sends the message that it will not be tolerated, said ATF Special Agent in Charge Kumor. “Firearms trafficking continues to be a top priority for ATF and our law enforcement partners and we are committed to identifying and disrupting the sources of illegal firearms, which jeopardize the safety of our communities.”

According to court documents and statements made in court, on November 8, 2012, Perez, a truck driver for Pace Motor Lines, picked up five boxes of firearms from the Continue reading →